This weekend sees the release of Jordan Peele’s seeming-hit-in-the-making “Us.” Given the crazy-good reception the film received at its SXSW world premiere, coupled that the film is Jordan’s follow-up to the Oscar-winning “Get Out,” major studios are reading the tea leaves and choosing — mostly — to, um, get out — of Jordan’s way.

While there are indie goodies out there, let’s face it — “Us” is going to be huge at the box office. In Peele’s latest horror parable, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o plays a mom fearing for the worst and then seeing it realized in the form of a brood that looks just like her own. Winston Duke and Elisabeth Moss co-star. Here’s my review.

Indie offerings

Should you be a fan of the swoon-able Alexander Skarsgard, expect to be in heaven this week.

Not only does the “Big Little Lies” actor star in the post-WWII drama “The Aftermath” with Keira Knightley, he’s playing against type in “The Hummingbird Project.” “The Aftermath” is about a couple (Knightley and Jason Clarke) setting up in a house occupied by the former owner (Skarsgard). That sets off some tension.

If that story gives off an overly familiar vibe, check out the plot of “The Hummingbird Project.” It’s about two cousins (Jesse Eisenberg and Skarsgard) as they boldly — or foolishly — embark on a plan to run a fiber wire across a few states to help speed up internet service. Salma Hayek co-stars as the driven ex-boss trying to one-up them.

One indie discovery worth seeking is “Transit,” fresh from a few screenings at Cinequest. Christian Petzold’s subtle yet gutsy character-driven thriller takes a 1940s story and shifts it to modern-day Europe. And my does it work. Multi-layered and intelligent, it’s about a German man who assumes the identity of a dead writer during fascist times.

Another indie drama winning strong reviews is “The Mustang,” a redemptive tale about a prison inmate and his healing relationship with a wild mustang.

If you don’t mind bursts of graphic violence and watching Mel Gibson, there’s some damn-good direction in S Craig Zahler’s “Dragged Across Concrete,” an epic starring Vince Vaughn and Gibson about a deadly triangle pitting two cops against an ex-con drawn. If you’ve seen Zahler’s previous films, you know this isn’t for the squeamish.

If you’re looking for mind games, get out the brain floss for “Out of the Blue.” MVP actress Patricia Clarkson portrays a New Orleans ace detective plumbing the death of an astrophysicist. She wanders into a universal head trip.

If that’s not cerebral enough, try “Genesis 2.0,” a documentary in which a discovery of mammoth bones in the New Siberian Islands creates quite a stir.

Should all that strain your mental capacities, then just wallow in one of the best over-the-top sex dramas (or is it comedies?) from long ago, “Cruel Intentions.” It’s an overheated howler with Sarah Michelle Gellar performing as if she’s delivering an Academy Award-winning performance. It’s a ridiculous guilty-pleasure adaptation of “Dangerous Liaisons” with an oh-so-hot Ryan Phillippe, Selma Blair and Reese Witherspoon. The cult classic turns 20 years old.

Stream this

On Netflix, “The Dirt” delivers the insider info on the band Motley Crue. It’s a tell-all based on the “tell-all” autobiography by Tommy Lee. It drops on March 22.

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Alameda County Fire Department crews are at the scene of a fire that started about 5:30 p.m. Friday at the historic Lorenzo Theater at 16080 Hesperian Blvd. in the unincorporated community of San Lorenzo.